Clothesline support and tightener



a v 2,798,270 ICLOTHESLINE: SUPPORT AND TIGHTENER Stephen John Michael Porada, Johnstown, Pa. hApplication August 3, 1954, Serial No. 447,633 1 Claim. (CI. 24-68) This invention relates to a clothesline support and tightener and has for its primary object to support the clothesline and to tighten it to a selected degree.

Another object is to enable a group of clotheslines to be supported and tightened by the device.

- Still another object is to enable the clothesline to be tightened with but a minimum of effort on the part of the user.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this invention which embodies among its features a supporting bar mounted to extend horizontally outwardly, longitudinally spaced transversely extending ratchet teeth carried by the underside of said supporting bar, a carriage mounted on said supporting bar to move longitudinally therealong, cleats carried by the carriage and ex tending outwardly therefrom for providing anchorages to which a clothesline may be connected, a lever carried by the carriage to rock beneath the supporting bar, a handle carried by the lever and extending outwardly therefrom for rocking it, a latch arm carried by the lever and yieldingly engaging successive teeth on the supporting bar as the lever is rocked to advance the carriage along the supporting bar, and a latch dog carried by the carriage beneath the supporting bar for engaging successive teeth on said bar and preventing retrograde movement of the carriage during an interval of disengagement of the latch arm from a tooth on the supporting bar.

Still other features include means for supporting the supporting bar for movement in a horizontal arcuate path, a bail connected to the latch arm and to the latch dog for moving them downwardly and out of engagement with the teeth on the supporting bar and a spring carried by the carriage and connected to the lever for yieldingly urging it toward the forward end of the carriage and a stop carried by the carriage and engaging the lever for limiting its movement in its vertical arcuate path.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary sectional view showing the device in use and supporting a plurality of clotheslines;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of the clothesline support, showing portions thereof in section;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the clothesline support illustrated in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 55 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the supporting plate 10 is adapted to be connected to a conventional upright U, and carried by the supporting plate and extending upwardly in spaced relation thereto is a hook 12. A supporting bar 14 is provided adjacent one end with an opening 16 for the reception of the hook to permit the arm to move in a horizontal arcuate path of approximate ly 180. Carried by the arm 14 and extending transversely across the underside thereof are longitudinally taken substantially 2,798,270 Patented July 9, 1957 paced ratchet teeth18, the purpose of which will herein after appear; a

Mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in the supporting bar 14 is a carriage designated generally 20 5 which comprises a tubular body 22 which is mounted on the supporting bar 14 for movement longitudinally thereon. Carried by the tubular body and extending outwardly therefrom are cleats 24 about which are adapted to be wrapped clotheslines L. Carried by the tubular body and extending downwardly therefrom on opposite sides thereof are spaced parallel side flanges 26 and carried by the side flanges 26 and extending therebetween adjacent one end of the carriage 20 is a pivot pin 28. A similar piv- 0t pin 30 is carried by the flanges 26 and extends therebetween adjacent the opposite end of the carriage 20 and carried bythe flanges 26 and extending therebetween adjacent the pivot pin 30 is a cross pin 32. A stop pin 34 is carried by the flanges 26 and extends therebetween adjacent the pivot pin 28 for a purpose to be more fully hereinafter described, and a second cross pin 36 is carried by the flanges 26 adjacent their lower edges thereof and substantially midway between opposite ends of the carriage 20. V

Mounted for rocking movement on the pivot pin 28 in a vertical arcuate path beneath the teeth 18 of the bar 14 is a lever 38 carrying adjacent one end an outwardly extending socket 40 for the reception of a handle 42 by means of which the lever 38 is rocked in its arcuate path beneath the supporting bar 14. Carried by the lever 38 and extending thereacross parallel to the pivot 28 is a pivot 44 by means of which a latch arm 46 is pivotally connected to the lever 38. A tooth 48 is carried by the latch arm 46 and extends upwardly therefrom for engagement with successive teeth 18 on the bar 14. A torsion spring 50 encircles the pivot 44 with one leg hearing on the lever 38 and the opposite leg bearing on the latch arm 46 to yieldingly urge the latch arm in its vertical arcuate path about the pivot 44 and into contact with a tooth 18 on the bar 14. A retractile coil spring 52 is connected at one end to the cross bar 36 and at its opposite end to the lever 38 to yieldingly hold the latch arm 46 advanced toward the supporting plate 10 and the socket 40 against the stop 34. It will thus be seen that when downward pull is exerted on the handle 42, the latch arm 46 will be moved in a direction to cause the carriage 20 to advance toward the supporting plate 10 on the bar 14.

Mounted for rocking movement on the pivot pin 30 in a vertical arcuate path which intersects the bottom of the supporting bar 14 is a latch dog 54, the free end of which is adapted to engage a tooth 18 on the bar 14 to arrest retrograde movement of the carriage 20 during such time as the latch arm 46 is advancing toward the supporting plate 10 preparatory to engaging a tooth 18. A torsion spring 56 encircles the pivot 30 with one arm engaging the latch dog 54 while the other arm engages the stop 32 in order to yieldingly urge the latch dog 54 into engagement with the teeth 18 of the bar 14.

Eyes 58 are carried by the latch arm 46 and latch dog 54, and looped through the eyes are opposite ends of a bail 60 having a handle loop 62 which projects downwardly from the latch arm and latch dog, respectively, below the lower edges of the side flanges 26, as will be readily understood upon reference to the drawings.

In use, it will be evident that one or more clotheslines L may be attached to the carriage 20 by means of the cleats 24 and with the opposite ends of the clotheslines rigidly supported, the lever 38 may be rocked by exerting downward pull on the handle 42 to move the lever against the effort of the spring 52 and thus cause the carriage 20 to advance along the supporting bar 14. As the carriage moves along the supporting bar, the latch dog 54 will ratchet *over the teeth 18 until such time as the carriage comes --to rest and the lever SS-is -moved-by-the handle 42 and spring 52 into advanced position toward the supportingvplate, 10 to enable the tooth 48 to engage an advanced tooth' on the bar '14. "Obviously, 4 by repeatedly rocking the handle 42, the lever 38 will be rocked in its areuat e' path to cause the latch-armflfito engage the teeth 18 in sequence and thereby'advance-"the carriage-20 'to placethe lines D under tension. "The-tension on-"the 'elbtheslinemay be completely relaxed by exerting down- "ward pull on" the 'loop 62a'nd thereby disengaging the latcharm dfiandthe latch 'dog S4 from'rthe teeth 18.

In this way, the cldtheSlines] L-maybeplace'd under "slettedtnsion with but a minimum of efiorton the part of theu'ser. v

-While in'the foregoingtherehasbeen shown'and described the preferred embodiment of this invention,-it istdbe understood thatminor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may 'be resorted to'with'out departing from the spirit and scope or the invention as claimed. :Whatis claimed'is:

elo'theslinesupport and tightener comprising a supp ort'bar mountedto' extend horizontally outwardly, longitudinally spaced transversely extending ratchet teeth carried by the underside of said supporting bar, a carriage mounted on said supporting bar to move longitudijtially therealong, cleats carried by the carriage and extending outwardly therefrom for attaching a clothesline to --said carriage,-a lever carried by the carriage torock beneath the supporting bar,- a handle carried by the lever and extending outwardly therefrom for rocking it, a latch arm carried by the lever and yieldingly engaging successive teeth on the supporting bar as the lever is rocked to advance the carriage along the supporting bar, a latch dog carried by the carriage beneath the supporting bar for engaging successive teeth on said bar to prevent retrograde movement of the carriage during an'interval of disengagement of the latch arm froma tooth on the supporting bar, and a bail connected to the latch arm and to the latch dog and extending downwardly below the bottom of the carriageformoving the latch arm and the latch dog downwardly and out of engagement with the teeth on the supporting bar to relax tension on the clothesline.

References Cited in the'file'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 680,882 McBride t. Aug..-20, 1901 838,142 Scott et-al Dec. 11, 1906 900,879 Olson Oct. 13, 1908 1,203,617 Hargis Nov. 7, 1916 1,441,617 Wilson Jan. 9, 1923 2,485,322 Schlags Oct. 18, 1949 

